1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of telecommunications. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and a system for Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) communications.
2. Description of the Related Art
In current Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) systems, both coherent and non-coherent demodulation techniques are used. Coherent demodulation techniques require an accurate carrier phase estimation of a received signal, which in turn necessitates a pilot signal or a phase-locked loop. Both requirements are impractical, especially for an uplink to a satellite or a base station. Non-coherent orthogonal demodulation techniques require extensive correlation and comparison computations for symbol detection, resulting in a high implementation complexity. Additionally, non-coherent demodulation techniques provide poor performance compared to coherent approaches.
When DS-CDMA (Direct-Sequence Code Division Multiple Access) signals are coherently demodulated, accurate phase tracking of individual phases is required. When DS-CDMA signals are detected via non-coherent orthogonal demodulation, a performance penalty is paid, while also involving complex implementation. What is needed is a simple, yet powerful signalling scheme for CDMA-based communications that reduces implementation complexity while improving system performance.